


Hell's waiting- but I can't go.

by weeziewoo



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, General hijinks, Ghostly Shenanigans, Hijinks & Shenanigans, How Do I Tag, I'm sorry I wrote this, Why Did I Write This?, dead main character, ghost main character, science isn't real, this is just weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 10:32:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15884268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weeziewoo/pseuds/weeziewoo
Summary: Maybe he would have said that seeing it all had been an exaggeration. Sure, he’d been to space, but there was plenty he hadn’t seen.Or at least he used to say that, until his own dead body was in front of him. Not Julius Grief’s body, as far as Alex was concerned that was a separate entity. But this? That was his body, his dead body mind you- he had been shot dead, he remembered it happening. A sudden pain and then he was looking down at himself. It was bizarre.





	Hell's waiting- but I can't go.

Ben Daniels liked to consider himself a sane man. He held a steady job, sure that job was as an agent for the MI6- but what can you do?

But when he’d been called to Blunt’s office, and told that Alexander Rider had been killed. He was just confused.

His body had been found in a ditch, just outside of Battersea Power Station. About an hour’s walk from his home in Chelsea. But that just couldn’t be Alex. Because Alex had been in his apartment all week, he was even there when he left for work that day.

He had enquired how long Alex had been dead. Blunt’s response was vague at best, saying the body was found three days ago. And even then, Ben refused to believe them.

Blunt had told him the funeral was that Saturday, and he could bring K-unit with him.

Ben recalled the story Alex had told him about the clone he had. Julius Grief- he remembered. But Alex had killed him. So, unless he had more clones, which was unlikely. Something else was happening.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex Rider liked to say he’d seen it all, which was mostly true, he’d travelled all around the world, he’d trained with elite soldiers, he’d brought down terrorist organisations, all before his sixteenth birthday.

Maybe he would have said that seeing it all had been an exaggeration. Sure, he’d been to space, but there was plenty he hadn’t seen.

Or at least he used to say that, until his own dead body was in front of him. Not Julius Grief’s body, as far as Alex was concerned that was a separate entity. But this? That was his body, his dead body mind you- he had been shot dead, he remembered it happening. A sudden pain and then he was looking down at himself. It was bizarre.

Watching the man drag his body was weird, he followed along silently and watched as his body was thrown into a muddy ditch. It wasn’t the most glamorous place for a body either, the ditch was in the shade of the looming towers of Battersea Power Station.

Alex didn’t even know how to process the information in front of him.

His dead body was in a ditch in front of him, yet he was still there. No new plane of existence. No Heaven, no Hell, no Purgatory.

He didn’t know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of- he went to Ben’s apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben opened the front door. And Alex was still there- he was half expecting him to be gone. But he was there on the sofa, sat with his legs crossed.

“Alex we uhm, need to talk.” Ben said, with the straightest face he could muster. Though the confusion in his tone was less than subtle.

“Sure, what’s up.” Alex replied, he was sure that Ben had figured out something was going on.

“Are you a clone?” Ben asked, and Alex almost laughed out loud.

“Ben if you’re worried about Julius, I killed him a long time ago, remember?” Alex told him calmly. Ben was definitely knew something was going on.

“Yes, I remember, we had to remove the mirror from the lift at work- it kept giving you panic attacks. But if you aren’t a clone- what on God’s green Earth are you doing dead in a ditch in _fucking_ Battersea?” Ben questioned.

“First of all, don’t remind me about mirrors-” Alex shuddered.

“-Secondly, I think I might be a ghost?” Alex responded.

Alex looked just as confused as Ben.

“Look, I don’t know how it happened. I remember the crack of a bullet being fired from a gun, and the next thing I know I’m staring at my own body.” Alex sighed.

“Like not in a Julius Grief ‘staring at my own body’ way, but like an oh shit I’m dead ‘staring at my own body’ kinda thing, ya know.” Alex explained.

“That literally makes no sense- why can I see you? Can other people see you? Does it look like I’m talking to myself?” Ben babbled.

“I don’t know if anyone else can see me- look whenever my funeral is. I’ll go and if nobody else reacts then we’ll know for sure.” Alex responded calmly.

 

* * *

 

 

The day before the funeral, Ben called the rest of the K-Unit. He dialled each one on loud-speaker so Alex could hear them.

First was Eagle.

“Hey Connor- ah shit there’s no easy way to say this.”

**“Ben, are you okay? You seem sad.”**

“Listen, you’ve been invited to a funeral, all of K-Unit has been. You remember Cub, right?”

**“I do- wait so is he like- uhm, dead?”**

“Yeah, he wasn’t what we thought, he was the MI6’s play thing, a fourteen-year-old spy. He was murdered last week, and the funeral is tomorrow. At Chelsea graveyard. It starts at 11am.”

**“I’ll be there.”**

Next was Snake.

“Hey Ewan, there’s a funeral tomorrow that K-Unit is invited to.”

**“Who?”**

“You remember Cub? He wasn’t a rich kid, he works for the MI6. But he’s dead.”

**“I see.”**

“The funeral is at Chelsea graveyard, it starts at 11am.”

**“I’ll see you then.”**

And finally, there was Wolf.

“James, we’ve been invited to a funeral.”

**“Who’s dead?”**

“You remember Cub, right? Listen, he wasn’t what we thought he was, he worked for the MI6.”

**“Yeah, I know, I met him in France. He was the agent inside the school.”**

“Oh, see he’s dead. He was shot in the head last week, and his funeral is tomorrow.”

**“Where and when- I’ll see you there.”**

“Chelsea graveyard, 11am.”

The phone cut off a second later.

 

* * *

 

 

The funeral was a quiet affair-

Aside from K-Unit, the only other attendees were Crowley, Smithers, Mrs Jones and Alan Blunt.

Alex had also come along, but just as suspected, nobody else could see him, Ben was trying not to laugh as Alex was giving a running commentary, despite it being himself in the casket.

But luckily- it just seemed as if he was holding back sobs and not laughter.

There was now five headstones on the small plot.

Ben squinted to read the names.

Helen Rider, Johnathan Rider, Ian Rider and Jacqueline Starbright.

And obviously the last headstone said Alexander Rider.

 

* * *

 

 

After the funeral Connor, James and Ewan all went back to Ben’s apartment.

“Did anyone else here someone talking during the funeral? It sounded kinda weird and far away.” James asked.

Ewan and Connor nodded.

“I heard it too, but I thought I was going crazy.” Ewan explained.

“Don’t you think it sounded familiar? I just can’t put my finger on it.” Connor added.

Alex tilted his head.

“So, they can just about hear me, but can’t see me, that’s odd.” He observed.

“There it was again.” The three of them said at once. Before staring at each other.

“So why can you see me? What did I do to make you see me?” Alex asked Ben calmly.

Ben shrugged softly, so he didn’t confuse the others.

“What does the voice mean ‘so why can you see me?’ Which one of us knows where that voice is coming from” Ewan complained.

All eyes flicked over to Ben.

“Okay- so this sounds incredibly weird, but considering you can hear him already, but can’t see him. But it’s Alex, well technically it’s Alex’s spirit which is for some reason still here.” Ben explained.

“Okay, I know we were saying we could hear a voice, but that’s crazy. Ben are you okay, I knew you spent a lot of time with Alex.” James retorted.

“So, what is it then? I was focusing on you when I was panicking after I’d just died. Maybe if I focus on the four of you.” Alex mumbled quietly to himself. Before falling completely silent.

Ben looked over to him from spot on the sofa, Alex was currently perched on one of the counters in the kitchenette area of room, he seemed to be lost in thought.

A flash of light filled the room momentarily, and once everyone’s vision had cleared. They all stared at the same spot where Ben had been looking moments before.

“No fucking way.” James said, rubbing his eyes, like he wasn’t trusting them.

“What the Hell? This can’t be real.” Ewan mumbled, shaking his head.

Connor stood up and walked to stand just in front of the kitchen counter where Alex was sat.

“Cub!” The man exclaimed, more excited then he’d ever sounded before.

“Wait so- that worked?” Alex asked cautiously.

The three of them nodded.

“Ben can you still see me too?” He added.

Ben nodded.

 

“But we still need to figure out what the Hell is going on.” Alex sighed.

 


End file.
